There were many tragedies that came from World War Two, but one of the positives was aviation technology moved forward in leaps and bounds over that relatively short period of time. It was during the war that the first combat jet aircraft, the German Messerschmitt Me 262, saw service. The Allied forces weren’t too far behind with the British Gloster Meteor and the American Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, both of which were released as the war was ending. Even after the war ended this momentum in aviation technology didn’t slow down. It was really just the beginning, as it was the dawn of the jet age.
Avro CF-105 Arrow
Although much smaller in population than the USA, Germany, and Britain, Canada also got swept up in this jet age and developed a significant local aviation industry. It was during this era that Canada made a number of advanced aircraft designs; however, many would never go beyond the development stages. Most Canadians are well versed in the story of the Avro CF-105 Arrow. It was to be a revolutionary, world class jet interceptor. But the Arrow never went beyond the prototype stage and was cancelled by the Canadian Government. The Arrow’s predecessor was the CF-100 Canuck. It was a successful all-weather interceptor designed entirely in Canada. Despite an excellent service record, the CF-100 is overshadowed by the loss of the Arrow.
To examine the history of the CF-100, let’s step back to the time before World War Two. In 1938 a new Aircraft plant was opened in Malton, Ontario as a Division of National Steel Car Corporation. By 1939, this factory produced Westland Lysanders under license and later produced the Handley-Page Hampton bombers. Once World War Two started, the plant was converted to build other aircraft that suited the needs of the RCAF. This included aircraft such as the Hawker Hurricane and the Anson Trainer, but most famously the Avro Lancaster bomber. Shortly after the decision was made to produce the Lancaster, the Canadian government decided to purchase the aircraft plant to take over the operations. The company was renamed the Victory Aircraft Company.
The Victory Aircraft Company produced many Lancasters during WWII
Victory Aircraft proved to be an excellent manufacturer, producing 430 Lancasters, 3197 Avro Ansons and a handful of a few other large Avro aircraft. Nevertheless, after World War Two ended, the Canadian Government had no further interest in being in the aircraft industry. As a result, the Victory Aircraft Company was sold the Hawker-Siddeley Group in 1945. The company was renamed A.V. Roe Canada LTD, more commonly called Avro Canada, and it was officially the Canadian branch of the UK based A.V. Roe and Company.
At this time, the Canadian Government owned another Crown Corporation called Turbo Research Limited. This company had been working on the development of jet engines and in fact had a jet engine in the design stage. In 1946 the Canadian Government sold Turbo Research to Hawker-Siddeley to become part of A.V. Roe Canada and it was renamed Orenda Engines.
With the end of the war, there was little work for newly formed Avro Canada with no immediate need to produce aircraft. The company had some aircraft maintenance contracts but this wasn’t enough to sustain the business. So they stayed afloat by producing a variety of products including truck fenders, oil furnaces, and tractors.
Northrop’s F-89 Scorpion didn’t meet the specifications set out by the RCAF for an all-weather interceptor
At the same time, during 1946 the RCAF had developed a list of requirements for a new long range all–weather interceptor aircraft. A team was formed to evaluate aircraft from the USA and Europe. The search proved futile, as no aircraft met the specifications. The RCAF presented their request to Avro Canada and a contract was formalized in October of 1946. It specified two prototypes to be produced and the aircraft was designated the XC-100.
These are early mock-ups of the XC-100, which show the engines in the original location.
By June of 1947, the design was well underway and nearly at the mock-up stage. It has also been re-designated the CF-100. This was when John Frost joined the team and became the new Project Design Engineer. Formerly of deHavilland Aircraft in England, he brought great experience to the table as the lead designer of the deHavilland DH108 Swallow. The CF-100 design was a straight wing aircraft, but Frost preferred a swept wing. At this point it was too far along to implement a major change to the design, but he did make some other significant changes to refine the aircraft design. One change implemented was the relocation of the engines. They were moved more forward and lower into the wing. This revision required the main wing spar to be notched to clear the engine, which would later lead to significant structural problems.
A swept wing variant was to be called the CF-103 never went beyond the mock-up stage. It proved to offer little aerodynamic advantage.
The prototype CF-100s, designated Mark 1s, were to be powered by Rolls Royce Avon engines, as it was a proven engine used in the Gloster Meteor. It was deemed that the unproven aircraft should at least use a proven engine. That said, the RCAF set out its specifications for the Mark 2 during 1949 and it was to be powered by the Canadian designed and built Orenda 2 engine.
The first prototype, number 18101
After a lengthy gestation period, in December 1949 the first prototype CF-100 Mark 1 was completed. Canadian born Bill Waterton who was working for Hawker Siddeley in England would be the test pilot. The chief test pilot for Avro Canada, Don Rogers, was tied up with the C102 Jetliner project and he lacked experimental flight experience. Waterton on the other hand had hundreds of hours flying jet aircraft and was familiar with the Rolls Royce Avon engine.
18101 with RCAF and Government officials.
On January 19th 1950 the CF-100 took flight for the first time, in front of a group of RCAF and Canadian Government officials. The aircraft was in the air for 40 minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 5000 feet and a maximum speed of 215 mph. However, it had one significant problem, the landing gear wouldn’t retract, which is why the speed was limited.
The second prototype, 18102, prior to being fitted with wing tip tanks. This particular F-86 was used as a test-bed for the Orenda engine. The Sabre was used by the RCAF as its daytime interceptor. Sabre pilots tended to call the CF-100’s “Leadsleds” due to their weight.
By January 25th 1950 the landing gear was repaired and the aircraft made its second flight. With the gear retracted Waterton put the CF-100 through its paces and reached a speed of nearly 500 mph. Upon landing it was noted that the wing root fairings had twisted and torn. This was discovered to be due the main spar being weakened when the engines were relocated. The CF-100 was speed restricted while the engineers fixed the problem. However, even after the fix, this problem would persist for some time.
The second prototype, 18102, fitted with wing tip tanks with the stabilizing fins (in red)
A second prototype was built and first flew in July of 1950. The second prototype was fitted with wing tip tanks to help increase range. However, once fitted, it caused instability due to the excessive torsional loads during some maneuvers. The solution was to add a stabilizing fin to the rear of the tank, which actually resulted in the aircraft being more stable than without tanks. The first prototype CF-100 had a long life, and was later updated and put into military service where it served until 1965. Conversely, the second prototype had a short life. It crashed without warning on June 23rd 1951, killing both crew members, while practicing long range flying at high altitude. There was no fault found with the aircraft and the cause of the crash was believed to be due to oxygen failure, as no attempt was made for the crew to bail out. Nevertheless, the prototype aircraft proved to meet the specifications set out by the RCAF and the CF-100 deemed a capable performer. It had an excellent climb rate, being able to reach 40,000 feet in 2/3s the time of a Gloster Meteor, and it set an intercity speed record between Toronto and Montreal.
In early 1950 the conflict in Korea was becoming more serious, so the RCAF increased the order of CF-100s from 12 to 124 aircraft. This order ended up being the final nail in the coffin for the C-102 Avro Jetliner, as the Government requested that Avro concentrate on the CF-100 and Orenda engine production.
Orenda was tasked to develop a jet engine with 6500 lbs of thrust for the CF-100 Mark 2. In 1949, the Orenda 1 engine had been developed. It had a 10 stage axial compressor with 6 combustion chambers and a single stage turbine and produced 6,250 lbs of thrust. The first three prototype engines proved very durable. The first prototype engine, however, failed after 1000 hours. This was due to lab technician’s coat being sucked into the engine. It was repaired and the three engines lasted nearly 2000 hrs. This was double the hours many other engines of the era would achieve.
This Avro Lancaster was used as a test bed for the Orenda jet engines. It was said to have been able to out run the P-47s flown by the US National Guard.
The Orenda team faced some development challenges, like failing compressor blades, but the engineers fixed this with strengthened the rotor blades. Once the lab tests were completed, the Orenda jet engine was installed in two very different aircraft for testing; an Avro Lancaster and a North American F-86 Sabre. The Lancaster had its two outboard Merlins replaced with Orenda jet engines. It first flew on July 10th 1950 and logged over 500 hours before it was destroyed in a hangar fire.
The first F-86 Sabre powered by an Orenda engine flew in California in July of 1950. The Orenda turbojet engine provided the Sabre with more power, improving its already excellent performance. The F-86 was produced under license in Canada by Canadair and Canadair decided it would switch from the J47 engine to the Orenda engines. Combined with the impending CF-100 demand, this resulted in Orenda having to increase production capacity with a new plant.
This was the Mark 2 prototype, and the only Mark 2 that was not dual control. All other Mark 2 CF-100s were converted to dual control trainers.
After a successful test period, a CF-100 Mark 2 prototype was built and fitted with the production engine, called the Orenda 2. The Mark 2 took first flight on June 20th 1951. The Mark 2 aircraft was still a preproduction plane and the RCAF planned to conduct its own tests. In October 1951, the RCAF’s Central Experimental and Proving Establishment received a CF-100 Mark 2 for evaluation. After a relatively short testing period, the structural problems at the wing and engines nacelle returned. The RCAF was not impressed and production of the CF-100 was halted until the structural issues were resolved.
CF-100 Canucks could be fitted with four hard points which could each carry a 1000 lb bomb. However, it was never developed to be a fighter-bomber.
The engineers worked at strengthening the joint where the wing met the nacelle, but found making it stronger only caused it to fail in a shorter number of cycles. Ultimately the engineers found a permanent solution. Rather than a single rigid joint, a pin joint was used. This was combined with strengthening the aircraft’s center section where the wing joined to the fuselage. This prevented the stresses from the wing to cause the nacelle skin to distort. The ordeal caused an 8 month delay in production.
A Mark 2T was tested with JATO.
The RCAF realized it would need to train its pilots to fly the CF-100 and ordered all remaining Mark 2s to be converted to dual control trainer units. These dual control Mark 2s went on strength with the RCAF on May 6th 1952 and served until July of 1958. There were still some teething problems with the aircraft though. The control column was offset, which meant if the pilot centered the stick between his legs on takeoff, the aircraft would slowly roll into the ground. Furthermore, once the canopy was jettisoned, the navigator/radar operator in the second seat had difficulty ejecting due to the windblast. Later, a secondary windshield was added to prevent this problem.
CF-100 Mark 3 was the first to see operational use.
After a short Mark 2 production run, Mark 3 production was able to commence with improvements learned from the Mark 2. The Mark 3 was the interceptor the designer had originally envisioned and was the first operational variant. Improvements included a larger fairing at the wing and nacelle junction, to improve high speed performance and reduce high altitude buffeting. The Mark 3 also used an improved Orenda engine, called the Orenda 8. The Mark 3 first flew on October 11th 1952 and went on strength with the RCAF in April 1953. It was given the name “Canuck,” which didn’t really stick well with the pilots. It was more commonly called the “Clunk” due to the clunking sound of the landing gear when it retracted, or “Leadsled” due to its heavy weight and controls.
The drop out ventral gun pack allow for quick rearmament
There were several variants of the Mark 3, including trainer versions. Unlike the Mark 2s, the Mark 3 trainers were not conversions; rather they were originally manufactured as dual control aircraft. It was also the first armed version of the CF-100. It used eight 50 caliber machine guns mounted in a ventral pack under the fuselage. The removable pack allowed for ground crews to drop the entire unit out of the fuselage and replace it with a new freshly loaded gun pack. This made for far quicker rearmaments. The Mark 3 used the Hughes E-1 fire control system with an AN/ADG-33 radar mounted in the nose. This system allowed the CF-100 to track and destroy its target in all weather conditions and was same system use on the F-89A Scorpion, the US counterpart to the CF-100.
Mark 3s taking off, or “clunking up”
As the first Canuck to see operational status, pilots complained about the poor heating. It was learned that many pilots were not wearing proper footwear, so the design office attributed the complaints to be unfounded. One test pilot decided to prove that the heating system was poor, and took a technical observer from the design office for a flight. The pilot wore two pairs of socks and underwear, and two sweaters to stay warm. After the one hour flight, the observer was so cold and stiff that he had to be lifted out of the cockpit. Shortly afterwards the design team agreed to improve the heating system.
The prototype CF-100 Mark 4 in a vertical climb, in formation with another CF-100 performing a loop maneuver.
The design for the Mark 4 started in 1950 and the prototype first flew on October 11th 1952, the same date as the Mark 3 prototype. However, Mark 4 production didn’t start until September 1953. The Mark 4 prototype was the last CF-100 to use one of the original preproduction airframes as its basis. It was also a quite extraordinary performing aircraft. On December 18th 1952, Avro test pilot Jan Zurakowski used the Mark 4 prototype to break the sound barrier in a full power dive. Many believed that the CF-100 would become uncontrollable above Mach 0.85, and Zurakowski knew that a pilot could possibly exceed that number in a combat situation. So he set out to test the aircraft at near supersonic speed. He conducted a full power dive and hit Mach 1.08, never losing control of the aircraft. This stunt made the CF-100 the first straight wing aircraft to break the sound barrier without rocket assistance, but it also resulted in a few broken windows at the Avro design office.
Mark 4s in flight. Note the rocket pods in place of the wing tip tanks.
The Mark 4 had a number of significant design improvements and was considered the first truly satisfactory version of the CF-100. Updates included a clear one piece blown canopy and the fuselage fuel tanks were revised to be two longitudinal tanks rather than a fore and aft tank. This allowed for less trim changes as the fuel was consumed. Mark 4s also used newer, more powerful Orenda engines, starting with the Orenda 9 with later Mark 4s using the Orenda 11 which had 7,275 lbs of thrust.
The most obvious change was the larger, blunter nose cone. This nose cone enclosed the newer but larger Hughes MG-2 fire control system and APG-40 radar. In addition to the eight 50 caliber machine guns, the Mark 4’s used wing tip mounted rocket pods. These pods contained fifty-eight 70 mm (2.74 in) diameter unguided folding-fin aerial rockets (FFARs), also known Mighty Mouse rockets. These rockets proved to be significantly more potent at destroying a large bomber, but were also known to be inaccurate and unpredictable at times.
A Mark 4 firing its FFARs.
This diagram shows how a CF-100 was intended to attack a bomber. Its weapons system would allow for this type of attack in zero visibility conditions.
The original design of the CF-100 was to have a ventral rocket mounted in the fuselage behind the machine gun pack. The rocket pack would lower down out of the fuselage so it could fire. This setup was tested with the Mark 4. However, it was abandoned after trial flights showed the rocket pack caused buffeting when it was lowered into the airstream. It also caused the aircraft to nose up and resulted in structural cracks.
A CF-100 Mark 5 with its US counterpart, a F-89 Scorpion, performing exercising in July 1957 out of St. Hubert, Quebec.
The proposal for the Mark 5 was created in January 1952. Initially Avro proposed significant changes for the Mark 5, with redesigned wings and afterburning engines. Ultimately the RCAF wanted a cheaper alternative. As a result The Mark 5 became a refinement of the Mark 4, but it was arguably the best version of the CF-100. The biggest difference for the Mark 5 was the addition of the 3’8” wing tip extensions to improve high altitude performance. The longer wings increased the ceiling from about 45,000 feet to about 54,000 feet. Additional efforts were also made to improve performance by reducing weight. Over 3,500 lbs of weight was removed. Part of this weight saving program was the removal of the 8 fuselage mounted guns, leaving the FFAR rockets as the sole weaponry.
This photo clearly shows the wing tip extensions added on the Mark 5
The Mark 5 prototype was a converted CF-100 Mark 4B, and it first flew in September 1954. The Mark 5 showed improved high altitude performance, but low altitude performance was compromised by the longer wings. The Mark 5 entered service in 1955. Avro ended up selling 53 to the Belgian Air Force, who chose the CF-100 over the competing Gloster Javelin, the Sud Avation Vautour IIN, the North American F86K Sabre and the Northrop F89D Scorpion.
The Queen inspecting a squadron of CF-100s from a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado
More advance armament was tested on the CF-100, but none would go beyond the testing stage. This included the Canadian led Velvet Glove air to air guided missile program, but it was abandoned in 1956. This program was replaced by the Sparrow 2 program, and several CF-100s were modified for testing. However, the US Navy cancelled the program which ended the program in Canada as well.
There were several CF-100 retrofitted with the Sparrow 2 missiles, but they were never operational
Avro proposed Mark 6 and Mark 7 variants of the CF-100, which would have included the thinner wings and more powerful engines. However, the RCAF had no further interest in investing in the old Canuck when the CF-105 Arrow program well underway. The CF-100 stayed in production until December of 1958, with a total of 693 produced. Shortly afterwards on February 20th 1959, the Avro Arrow program was cancelled, which ultimately led to the eventual demise of Avro Canada.
CF-100s that served in Europe used camouflage livery like this Mark 4.
The CF-100 often intercepted friendly aircraft, like this B-36 Peacemaker
Nevertheless, the CF-100 continued in front line service for Canada and NATO. It served in nine RCAF Squadrons, four of which were in Europe during the 1950s. For its time, it was arguably the best all-weather fighter, and for a time it was the only all-weather fighter used by NATO forces in Europe. It remained on the front lines until 1963, when it was supplanted by the American McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo, a supersonic all-weather fighter. By this time CF-100 didn’t have the speed to properly intercept new supersonic bombers, such as Russia’s TU-22.
The replacement of the CF-100 with the Voodoo meant there was a surplus of CF-100s and many were scrapped. However, the CF-100 continued to serve for some time after it was removed from the front lines. It was used in Electronic Counter Measures and training roles. The airframes proved to be quite durable, having double or triple the lifespans than what was originally believed. Tests showed that the airframes could last up to 20,000 hours before complete destruction.
A CF-100 Mark 5 on static display in North Bay, Ontario. CFB North Bay was the last air base to station the CF-100 before it was removed from service at the end of 1981.
After almost three decades of service for the RCAF, the CF-100 was removed from service in December 1981. The final aircraft served in the 414 Black Night Squadron out of North Bay, Ontario. Today, many CF-100s are on static display across Canada.
The CF-100 Canuck with a F-102 Delta Dagger. These two aircraft did many interceptions during the 1950s and early 1960s and helped to keep North American air space safe.
While many Canadians lament that the CF-105 Arrow and the Avro Jetliner never came to fruition, the CF-100 is often ignored. It was hardly a cutting edge aircraft, but it was a highly respected all-weather fighter. While it never had to fire its weapons in anger at an intruder, it certainly played a big role in protecting both the North American and European airspaces. Despite that fact that it wasn’t the sleekest or most likable aircraft, the old Clunk served for nearly three decades and did its job well. For these reasons, the CF-100 should be remembered as an important part of aviation and Canadian history.
A lot of the engineers who worked on the Arrow emigrated to USA and were key engineers for NASA. Over my career I have worked with 2 of them, amazing the amount of talent there. One fellow described how the cancellation of the Arrow was announced over the company intercom.
Thanks for this summary Vince, I’ve seen a few CF-100s in museums but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of the pole mounted versions.
If you go to YYZ airport it’s hard to believe that it was once the little Malton airfield well outside the city.
Thanks Doug. There are quite a few CF-100s on static display. Wikipedia has a list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Canada_CF-100_Canuck#Aircraft_on_display
This pic are some CF-100s in your stomping grounds, Hamilton Ontario.
Thank you Vince for your great work on keeping memories alive of that era, and of a great old aircraft.
As a proud Canadian, I am a huge fan of the CF-100. Some think it rather ugly and, I suppose it is in comparison to its younger brother, the CF-105 Avro Arrow, but both aircraft were beautiful in their own right.
I’ve even approached Hobby Master about producing the CF-100 in diecast form but they declined saying they’d need to produce and sell 10,000 models to make it viable. Having produced the CF-105, and with how well those sold, I’m sure they’d have no problem selling the CF-100 in multiple versions/markings.
As an aviation photo-journalist, I always enjoy reading articles about our Canadian produced aircraft and enjoyed reading yours.
Thanks for a honouring the Clunk!
I flew in the back seat of the CF-100 in the 1958-1960 era, in 416 squadron, St, Hubert.
Pilot and Nav. “crewed up” in O.T,U. in Cold Lake and thereafter flew together.
Many from those days are now gone.
One night after a flying mission we decided to see how high the plane could climb. We reached 54,000 feet but stalled and tumbled. Recovery was at a much lower altitude in denser air. The pilot, deemed to be one of the best by the other pilots on the squadron, mentioned that the recovery had been “difficult.”
On another occasion, he gained some notoriety by bending the main spars on the aircraft. The aircraft was unserviceable while the spars were replaced.. On that occasion he wanted to see how a plane designed to intercept bombers at high altitude, would behave as a day fighter.
Sadly he has died in a plane crash in 1971, while flying in the Air Force Reserve.
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On March 27, 1958 after flying down the main street of Orillia in CF-100 #18484 without rocket pods, my pilot decided to see how high the aircraft would go as we headed for Toronto. At 60,000 ft we were still climbing albeit much slower. Dave finally levelled of at 65,000. When he started to descend the aircraft started to “bunt” as was typical at .96 Mach. he rolled it over and we dropped to about 42,000 feet upside down. We then proceed back to North Bay to a safe landing. Quite the experience that we could never talk about while in the RCAF. Unfortunately we did not have a camera to prove our altitude, only Toronto Air Taffic Control asking where we were and what altitude, Dave responded just over Toronto above all air traffic.
Glad to know that there are still some from those days out there!
You got way higher than we did.
Apparently in 1998 a wayward weather balloon survived attempts, first by the Canadian Air Force and then by the Royal Air Force, to bring it down.
It continued on to come to earth in Finland.
Reading that story, I wondered how that balloon would have fared, forty years earlier, against a salvo of fifty eight 7.5 folding fin aerial rockets from a CF-100!
We were scrambled after a weather balloon at 50,000 feet in November 1958 but were not ordered to shoot it down, simply watched it drfit into Quebec near Val Dor. Never heard anything further about it.
Truly outstanding work Vince. You’ve created one of the best sources on the web, for one of the most important pioneering jets serving NORAD. Add ‘Notable Aviation Historian’ to your credentials, as this exhaustive biography is very accurate, and well compiled. Losing Avro, and the many talented people that worked there, ranks as one of Canada’s greatest industrial and aviation tragedies. Canada had a world-class aviation industry in the 1950s.
I had the great fortune of being raised for a number of years at CFB Rockcliffe in Ottawa, and our home on Altair Avenue was located less than a kilometre from the National Aviation Museum. Made countless trips there when it still consisted of three WW2 era hangers holding the collection. Their CF-100 was a memorable part of the display. Great memories.
The height of the Cold War in the 1950s was an exciting era for aviation technology in the US and Canada. And probably the peak years for the Canadian Air Force. My dad served 30 years in the RCAF, and told me so many stories of when he was stationed at various NORAD radar bases like CFS Falconbridge, CFS Foymount, as well as Sudbury and North Bay.
You can see a CF-100 as part of the static display (below) at the Air Force Day in 1957 at Rockcliffe. We used to use the stairs seen in the middle of the photo to go down to the National Aviation Collection.
Great work Vince!
Though the CF-100 had an excellent operational history, one of the more notable historic human tragedies in the Ottawa area involved the crash of a CF-100 into a convent located in the village of Orleans just east of Ottawa, in 1956. As both pilots, and 13 people on the ground were killed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convent_Crash
Thank you for the kind words Daniel. My dad wasn’t in the Military, but a very high percentage of my family was, and almost all served in the Air Force. I also was in Air Cadets. So in my youth I spent a lot of time on Air Bases and got to see lots of plans and sometimes ride in some RCAF aircraft. I miss the old air shows with static displays and the flying. I went to some memorable ones as a kid. I don’t remember seeing the Canucks, but I sure remember it’s successor, the Voodoo. They were fast and loud.
As to your comment on the crash below, there were quite a few CF-100s lost to crashes, I believe over 100. But that seemed to be par for the course during that era as these early jets certainly won’t the most reliable aircraft.
Excellent overview! I noted the “Canuck” nickname in the CF-100 ad, which was also used for the Canadian variant of the Curtiss ‘Jenny’ – the first mass-produced Canadian aircraft. Its official designation was the JN-4CAN, but it was actually derived from the JN-3.
I had occasion last fall to visit the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario, and shot this CF-100 in the outdoor display. Unusually, it was painted black as you can see.
One of my favourite topics is the Avro Arrow, and its cancellation. A sad story, and it has its very political side as well as its technical story. I wish the factory building it had been built in had been preserved. Thanks for mentioning the Arrow in your writeup.
Excellent article on a successful but rarely remembered design. You are correct, the cancelation of the Avro Arrow overshadows all Canadian aviation history. The average Canadian knows little of the successes like the Canucks and just remembers the tragedy of the Arrow. Collectively we still haven’t forgiven that devastating loss.
One of my earliest childhood memories is seeing two Canucks flying over Toronto in about 1971. The roar of early military jet engines was loud and impossible to ignore. The straight wing and tanks create a distinctive profile, easily identified from the ground, even for a 6 year old boy.
I love aviation histories, and this one was a treat. I was aware of the CF-100, but had never read anything in detail about it. A remarkable accomplishment.
There’s one on display at the entrance to one of our local parks. It needs a bit of a refresh…
https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.0844437,-64.8139003,3a,75y,358.92h,96.93t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svN2TPogrk4pRRH5UancOGw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
The BBC published this article on the Avro CF-105 Arrow history a couple of days ago. See:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200615-the-record-breaking-jet-which-still-haunts-a-country
As much media coverage as the Avro Arrow gets in Canada, I am surprised how few people have ever heard of the Avro Canada C-102 Jetliner. The Jetliner missed being the first commercial jet in the air to the de Havilland Comet by a few days, and could have given Canada a strong early jump in the commercial aviation field.
There is a superlative book by the Chief Engineer on the C102.
https://www.amazon.ca/Avro-Canada-C102-Jetliner/dp/091978366X
For the CF-100, Larry Millberry and Canav books published a great book as well.
A friend of my father’s was an engineer at AVRO working on hydraulics. I know he worked on the Jetliner and the Arrow. I expect he also worked on the CF100, but I am not sure. In April 1950 the Jetliner flew what I believe was the first jet airmail service from Toronto to New York City. Because of his involvement, my dad’s friend had the opportunity to sent a letter on that flight. My older brother was the recipient, and he still has the letter with its special commemorative stamp, sort of like a first day cover.
My dad’s friend was also interested in cars, and as long as I knew him he had a 49 Ford and a 57 Chev that he was planning to restore. He said that they were each the best years, and much to the annoyance of his neighbours they sat in the driveway of his nice suburban house, slowly getting rustier. He also had an extra front clip for the Chevy.
Thanks; I knew very little about the CF-100 prior to today. I enjoyed the reading.
As my aviation interest is more in civil aircraft, the post-war Canadian plane that I am most aware of and most interests me is the Canadair North Star.
Excellent book.
https://www.amazon.com/Larry-Milberry-Canadair-North-Hardcover/dp/B00SB375CE
Great article on a plane that really deserves more recognition in Canada. As an air cadet, I was lucky enough to see one of the last flying CF-100s displayed at the Abbotsford Air Show., and though only 12 years old at the time, I understood its significance enough to get a little damp-eyed about its impending retirement.
One nit to pick: the test pilot was the famed and controversial Bill Waterton, not ‘Walkerton’.
Thanks, fixed.
My dad major HB (Swede) Larsen flew a lot of hours in the cf100 and after that the cf101 voodoo.
If your ever in Kingston at the military college they have one cf100 in a static display.
Short funny story, the cf100 kinda got retired when the f101 voodoo became Canadas Main interceptor. They were brought back however to fly practice target missions for the Americans out of north bay Ont where we were stationed and my dad had a lot of 3am take offs trying to trick the Americans snd penetrating their airspace.
So one day the military wanted to send one to Abbotsford for the annual air show . My dad being from chilliwack said he would be delighted to take the cf100 snd hop scotch the country from north bay to bc.
And flew to Abbotsford.
The day of the air show he is standing outside his airplane talking to the public explaining his aircraft to the citizens and one came up and asked where they had trucked this old airplane from? My dad say he flew it here snd the guy said BULLSHIT these have been retired for years since the voodoo came on board. My dad assured him that he indeed had flow this airplane here and if the guy wasn’t too busy tomorrow morning At 7am he could come and watch him fly it out of here!
True story
He was also in the air the night a cf100 crashed into 4 mile lake north bay Ont . Sad day.
Great job to Vince C !!!!
From the book ‘Canada at Work’ by Wilfrid Eggleston, published in 1953. The book is a survey of Canadian industry, intended to promote Canada’s post-WW2 industrial strength around the world. It covers the CF-100 history in some detail. A copy of the book was given to my father when he was an engineer at the Canadian Transport Commission.
From the same book, an A.V. Roe advert:
Thank you Vince for the excellent write up on an important part of Canadian aviation history.
This is a jet I’ve often seen in photographs growing up but knew little about. I was used to seeing the F86 Sabres (especially the Golden Hawks aerobatic team) and Voodoos at airshows but don’t recall ever coming across the CF-100. Perhaps because the CF-100 was never serviced in Edmonton at Northwest Industries on the old Municipal Airport? In fact, I’m not so sure those jets were stationed at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta.
There were CF-100’s in Cold Lake. The first squadron of CF-100s was No.3 AW(F)OTU, which was an operational training unit based out of North Bay, Ontario. This squadron moved to Cold Lake, Alberta in May of 1955. The squadron was moved to permit the safe firing of the rockets, which proved somewhat unpredictable, as Cold Lake had a large weapons range.
Other squadron locations (in Canada) included St. Hubert Quebec, Bagotville Quebec, North Bay, Ontario, Ottawa Ontario (Uplands), and Comox, BC. There were also four squadrons in Europe, two in France and two in Germany.
Hi Vince.
I stumbled across your articles and had a great time reading them.
I share an interest in the history of the cf100 as
my dad was stationed in Marville France with 1 wing (445 wolverines sqn) and flew the cf100 mark 4.
He shared many fond memories of the clunk during his time there.
A nice little tribute to the Clunk. This was a superlative article for the amount of space and greatly appreciated. As an American it’s always nice to see an airplane that’s unknown in the US and mostly forgotten in its home country get some press.
According to Wikipedia, the Chief Engineer is still alive. If true Mr. Floyd would be 106.
Great Piece, Vince!
I love these deep dives of yours, and love all things airplane.
This provided me with lots of reading on a jet I knew little about before today.
And now I want to read about the C-102 Airliner and the CF-105 Arrow. Oh, and the F-89 Scorpion as well.
Thanks!
Thanks Rick. I too am an aircraft buff, in particular WWII and the post war jet planes. The C-102 and CF-105 are worthwhile histories to read.
Thanks to all for the kind words. And to those that posted videos, photos and links, than you for sharing. It was all great information.
Your are a very bad man. Now there is another Canadian aviation book joining my library
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1550569066/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7nt7EbTTJSFDN
Please feel free to peruse my library on librarything. If any book will help you, please let me know.
Terrific article on a topic I knew nothing about. I wonder if there was a hope to sell more CF-100s to allied air forces… the sale of 53 to Belgium seemed significant, and it would be interest to know if there was an effort to boost production further through exports. Looks like Belgium got a good bit of use out of these planes as well, and one is on display at the Koninklijk Legermuseum in Brussels.
Thank you Eric, I am glad you enjoyed the article. I am not sure how hard they pushed foreign sales at the time, as they were probably limited by production capacity. Other than Belgium, the CF-100 was also evaluated by the USAF. However, not for it’s intended role as a all-weather interceptor (they already had the Scorpions and F-86D’s for that), but as all-weather medium duty bomber/interdiction aircraft. The CF-100 didn’t have the payload or the range to meet the requirements as it really wasn’t built for that role. The British Canberra was selected and built under licence as the Martin B-57 Canberra.
I know Avro tried to get a CF-100 to the UK for evaluation shortly after it first flew, but the development problems meant it didn’t make it there until the mid-1950s as the Mark 4. Avro’s test pilot Jan Zurakowski did impress the British in 1955 with a Mark 4 doing his “falling leaf routine.”
Great tale well told. Many thanks.
And you’ve got me hunting around for more on the Jetliner. Almost the first jet airliner to fly – who knew that?
I always find it interesting to see how Avro Canada and De Havilland Canada followed separate but similar paths to the UK parents in such developments. Aviation has always been expensive.
An excellent read on a topic completely new to me. The beginning of the Jet Age must have been a fabulous time to be an aircraft engineer.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200615-the-record-breaking-jet-which-still-haunts-a-country?ocid=fbfut&fbclid=IwAR08DnA9nrMHKuaHTAqzH5UG_90xK0xWUCSXe0ciV2MRaymigPb8D90szoI
From the BBC today.
Vince,
An excellent summary of the CF-100! I was glad to see that you provided more accurate stats re its performance than a lot of books and websites. For something to do during this COVID-19 isolation decided to summarize my personal experiences flying it on 433 and 414 Squadrons at North Bay (“Flt Cadet To Combat Ready” in 17 months) from 1957 till 1959 when I was grounded for eyesight just as we were preparing to fly the Arrow. It was a remarkable aircraft in many ways – they never did get the heating problem really resolved, always cold at altitude! All the best!
Scott Maclagan
Scott,
thank you for the kind words. I had heard the heating system was never truly fixed and that the pilots who transitioned to Voodoos much appreciated its better heating system. I’d love hear about some of your experiences flying with 433 and 414 squadrons. You should email Paul about writing something for the website. Thank you for your service.
I own the original negative for this picture.
My father (George Lefort) served in North Africa and England with the RCAF in WW11 as a flight mechanic. After the war he returned to Toronto and worked at A.V. Roe in Malton, Ontario. I was born in 1948, and was too young to understand the loss of his job and the loss of the Canadian aircraft industry when they cancelled the Arrow.
Very interesting thanks ! In Chalrevoix (quebec) there is a crash site of a military plane in the 50s near a trail. Yesterday I got this serial info on one of the parts. That would point to the plane being a CF-100 mk 4 ? Do you know what happened ? Thanks !
Simon
Picture don’t seem to have followed… 2nd try
On that part on the right
I grew up in US air bases with the Martin B-57, which was a direct descendant of the English Electric Canberra design. The USA turned it into a bomber, a research platform, and a spy plane. Base brats use to call it “The Bat Plane”.
Looks like the CAF engineers took a great design into a different level. But if not and this is their original design, it only means great engineer minds think alike.
The CF-100 flew before the British Canberra to my knowledge. It was an independent Canadian design no realtion to the Canbera that was not designed as an all weather interceptor. We had two USAF B-57s at North Bay in the summer of 1958. They were underpowered by their American engines, just like the F89 Scorpion interceptor.
Sorry, I meant the Gloster Meteor. Very iconic and first WW2 British jet fighter that spawned an entire generation of jet designs.
I saw the last CF-100 fly at its “retirement” airshow at CFB North Bay in June 1982. I went to the show on the base with my uncle who was a navigator in Halifax bombers during WW II. There were many other aircraft there including the Starfighter, Voodoo and even a B-52 on display (my uncle conned himself a tour of the flight deck. But the most nostalgic was the fly past of a formation of four CF-100 with one “Black Knight” doing a low level solo as a final goodbye. I spent many years as a kid visiting North Bay and it was common to see and hear the sounds of CF-100’s and other aircraft. It is all gone now, but for a lone CF-100 mounted on a pedestal at Lee Park and a Voodoo likewise at the entry to what remains of the base.
On another note, my dad worked for TCA (now Air Canada) at old Malton Airport (now Pearson) right across the runway from Avro. One day while working on “the ramp”, he befriended a guy from Avro who invited him over to the plant (security was light in those days) to see the Arrow (#102 I assume) which was in its early days of testing. On one such occasion, he actually had the opportunity to meet Jan Juracouski (excuse sp). As it happened we lived in Aurora just north east of Maluon and many evenings we would see the Arrow flying over on its flight test path which would take it out over Uxbridge & Lindsay and then circle back to Malton. Such a shame that the canadian government didn’t find the political will, resources and intestinal fortitude to see this program through. Instead we blew our money on “end-of-line” American hardware including a missile (Bomarc) that couldn’t fly.
Anyway this was a great article that brought back many memories and realmlifecexperiebces. Thank you for sharing your work.